[DeTomaso] MSD Ignition box failures

rgranchelli at esedona.net rgranchelli at esedona.net
Mon Apr 16 12:08:46 EDT 2007


FYI

Anyone who has been watching this board for any length of time has seen
numerous MSD ignition box failures.

It has been documented that there are a number of design compromises in
the MSD box. The outstanding performance of the box is unfortunately
undermined by marginal design criteria.

Personally I would not use a box that is so marginal that you need to
carry a spare ignition with you. That is just not reliable.

Tech West Racing will fix the box and eliminate the voltage sensitivity
associated with the marginal components.

http://www.techwestracing.com/

Here at TechWestRacing Services we have identified seven failures that are
commonly occuring in the MSD ®6a ignitions,MSD ®6al ignitions,MSD ®6aln
ignitions, and the MSD ®6t ignitions. This information has come to our
attention over the last fifteen years of competition. These MSD ® ignition
box failures have been reported in all forms of racing. The MSD ®Ignition
box failures are sudden and without warning to the driver. The normal
senerio is as follows; the vehicle is doing just fine, then without
warning the engine is limited to 3500rpm to maybe 5600rpm. The throttle
response is sluggish at best, and the engine acts as if it has just lost
all of its performance
>From their website:

How to Check Your Msd Ignition Box For Damage

For the Racer who feels they have a failed MSD®Ignition, there is a simple
test that TechWest Racing Services can walk you through to confirm a true
failure of your MSD®Ignition.

First you will need a Volt/Ohm meter (this check can be performed with an
analog or digital meter as well). The type of meter will not change the
outcome of the test performed. Set your volt/ohm meter on the 1k ohms
scale, then position the MSD®Ignition in approximately the same
orientation as mounted in the vehicle. This is done to ensure that the
MSD®Ignition is relatively in the same position as when the failure
occurred. Next take either lead and attach it to a bare metal area on the
MSD®Ignition. The second lead needs to be hooked to the Large Red wire
that provides your main 12vdc input. In an Undamaged MSD®Ignition  the
needle will stay in the home position (ie. max Ohms for scale chosen). A
Damaged MSD®Ignition will show a reading of 3k ohms or lower.

The readings mentioned above are the result of our experience with
repairing customers MSD®Ignition systems. If you plan on testing your
MSD®Ignition while it is still mounted in your vehicle PLEASE remove the
LARGE RED wire (ie. main 12vdc). Failure to do this will result in
possibly damaging your meter while performing this test on your
MSD®Ignition.

FYI!
PICS of PCB layout:

http://www.cranecams.com/?show=article&id=12



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